Did you know, that in order to perform services, weddings, funerals, sacraments, baptisms, ect, that the church official is required by (federal) law to cary an official (state) approved certificate on his person at all times to provide as proof should his authority to perform church services ever be questioned by the police, FBI, IRS, etc. ? I had no idea such a law existed.
The federal law exists in it’s basic form, but than each state has it’s own additional clauses added to the federal law. And if you are ordained to preach-marry-bury-etc in one state you may not necessarily be legally allowed to do so in another state!
Does that mean ALL Mormon cerimonies are null and void? (no bishop is certified, as the LDS church does not believe in training leaders before calling them.)
Most states, have huge fines if you are caught preaching, marrying, etc, and a police, FBI, or IRS asks you to provide a certificate proving you are legally allowed to do so, but do not have said certificate, you are subject to a fine for EVERY service you have performed(most states at a rates of $100 per service).
Some places require to to be affiliated with an “authentic” (large enough to be recognized world wide) religion. Some states don’t recognize all religions as “valid” religions. For example Wicca is not considered an actual religion in several state, but rather a lifestyle, and as such Wiccan priest/tesses can not legally perform ceremonies!!!! Wicca is also not recognized as a religion by the offices of military (Army, Navy, etc) and as such you can not refuse a draft on basis of religion if you belong to the Wicca religion!
oh . . . I was looking into what it takes to start a church, btw — that’s how I found out about all these weird laws I never knew existed.
I figure enough people have told me I should start a church, (some in sarcasm and some is seriousness) that maybe I should — but one just for me, that way I can say I go to church again, and they can stop hounding me about it.
This is not a new idea btw — I was 14 years old when I declared I was going to enroll in Whitefield College (a Calvinist Bible college that trains ministers) and become a preacher. That idea didn’t go over to big with my strict Mormon family, so I never did go to college as I refused to go any where if I wasn’t going to Whitefield.
Of course, one of the requirements to get into Whitefield is a letter of recommendation for you paster or other church leader. That was during the time of Bishop Morgan, and so of course you know I not only didn’t get a letter of recommendation, I got a lecture up one side and down the other about how this was just one more way I was evil and in need of being put away in Pine Land Center (an asylum for the criminally insane, specializing in schizophrenia patients), but I did get a letter from him about a week later … boy was it a doozy! I still have it too as proof of this guy’s insanity! It was this letter that I handed over to the Stake President which resulted in Bishop Morgan losing his title as Bishop and being given a recommendation by the Stake President that he receive psychiatric help.
Even if I had gotten a letter of recommendation though, I still would have needed a job to make that much money and being a female & a Mormon meant I wasn’t allowed to get a job. 
(It was 15 more years before I finally broke away from the male ego tyranny and got a job at Macy’s — than had to have church members show up at my workplace and hound me — and my manager!— about the fact that I wasn’t supposed to have a job because I was a female. That didn’t go over too big with my manager, seeing how she was a female with a job herself!)
It was about $12,000 to enroll, back than. I wonder what it costs today? Getting that much cash is a problem, because being a Mormon means wee are not allowed to take out loans or mortgages and credit cards are strictly forbidden (both taught to be graves sins — based on the Bible verse of being in debt to no man) By church law, any member in debt to a bank, college, etc, can not get a temple recommend, and yet so many bishops overlook that law it ain’t funny. We’ve had 23 bishops in the last 34 years and I only know of one who ever enforced this law. He had a lot of members mad at him, because he was “so strict” with the laws of the church; but I never understood why they joined the church if they couldn’t obey the churches laws.
But anyways, that’s what I am doing today — looking up all the legal issues behind getting certified to start a ministry, start a church, and set up my own religion, so that I can put an end to these people harassing me once and for all. I’d like to see them sic their government official members on me than — than I can pull the same separation of church and state line they pulled on me. I’m so glad the town of Old Orchard is not as stupid as the members thought it was, and kicked out the freaking high priest town manager before he did any more damage. I just can’t figure out why the church itself is choosing to turn a blind eye to the fact that one of their priests is a criminal. If the church was obeying it’s own laws, he should have had his priesthood taken away from him.
Oh well. Off to look up more laws about this.
What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!
. . .
————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.
.
